Lotus Garden is very pleased to announce and invite you to our 2009 Shedra Program.
A shedra is a college of dharma, a place of learning where the many topics of the buddhadharma—the sutras, vinaya, abhidharma, and secret mantra—may be studied in depth. The Shedra Program contains the seed of what we hope will be a full harvest offering of all these teachings here at Lotus Garden.
For this year’s Shedra Program, we are fortunate to again have two of the most eminent teachers in the world teaching two of the most important texts within the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist tradition: the Bodhisattvacaryavatara and the Uttaratantra-shastra. Taken together, these two texts are the foundation stone of the course of any Shedra’s study of the profound and vast teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. Their study is common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Our two most eminent teachers, HE Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, have studied at the feet of many of the most realized and brilliant masters of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the generation of great masters who were trained and practiced in Tibet. Both of these teachers are well versed in all aspects of the dharma, and their own practice and realization shines forth in the clarity of their teachings. We at Lotus Garden consider ourselves so fortunate to receive these precious teachings from these two great teachers, both of whom are completely fluent in English.
At the 2009 Shedra Program, His Eminence Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche will be continuing his teachings on the Bodhisattvacaryavatara, The Way of the Bodhisattva. This is one of the most precious texts within the lineage of Madhyamaka traced to Nagarjuna. Written by the great Indian saint Shantideva in the 8th century, it is as relevant to practitioners of Buddhism today as it was for the monks and yogis of that time.
The Bodhisattvacaryavatara lays out the path of a Bodhisattva in an extraordinarily precise way, suitable for beginners and long-time practitioners alike. It explains the attitudes, vows, trainings, and contemplations of a Bodhisattva, describing the birth, nurturing, and full blossoming of bodhicitta, the precious mind of enlightenment. Discussing the importance of the Bodhisattvacaryavatara, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, "If I have any understanding of compassion and the practice of the bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of this text that I possess it."
Having completed the first seven chapters of the text, HE Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche will be continuing with the chapter on samadhi (meditation) and the chapter on wisdom, which is renowned as one of the most brilliant, clear & concise explanations of prajña, or wisdom, in the Madhyamaka tradition of Nagarjuna.
Also at this year’s Shedra Program, Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche will be continuing her series of teachings on the Mahayana-uttaratantra-shastra. This text was first expounded by Maitreya, the regent of Buddha Shakyamuni, and has been brought down to us through the great kindness of Asanga and his heirs, in a continuous stream of study & practice until the present day.
The Mahayana-uttaratantra-shastra expounds the fundamental buddhanature, the tathagata-garbha which is present within all beings, the seed of enlightenment within each one of us. All beings, though they find themselves with afflictive emotions (kleshas), have tathagata-garbha that is perfectly pure and unstained, and that is complete with all the virtues of the Buddha. The teachings of the Buddha contained in the Mahayana-uttaratantra-shastra explain how this is so in a clear and direct way, and through the use of examples.
In addition to the courses in these two texts, the 2009 Shedra Program will continue to offer a comprehensive course on the History of Buddhism. In order to teach those of different propensities, and to lead students through progressive levels of understanding and realization, the Buddha gave a variety of teachings at different times. Each of these teachings was then passed on through successive generations of Buddhist masters, continuing over the span of two millennia until the present day. This course, taught by professor Lopön Rita Gross, offers for practitioners a scholar’s view of the historical development of these teachings of the Buddha, both the origins of the Buddha’s Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, and its development and propagation in the two millennia since then.
Our final course of the 2009 Shedra Program is a course in Kyudo, Japanese contemplative archery. Kyudo is the ancient art of contemplative archery. Sensei Ken Rawie, a student of the bowmaker and archer to the Japanese Imperial Court, Kanjuro Sensei XX, continues as our instructor for this course. More information on kyudo may be found in an interview with Mr. Rawie entitled Stand-Up-Sit-Down-Zen! (pdf) which was published in the summer 2006 issue of Lotus News.
Traditionally the five sciences (language, logic, philosophy, medicine, and arts) are a part of the full curriculum of any Shedra. Lotus Garden hopes that this course in kyudo will lay the foundation for what eventually will be a complete offering of these topics.
The Shedra Program will be similar to the daily schedule of a university, with blocks of time devoted to the various texts or subjects while the classes rotate throughout the day. This atmosphere provides the student practitioner with the time to focus on specific topics through hearing, study and practice.
Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche will teach from the Uttaratantrashastra primarily in the first half of the program, the 25th of June through the 1st of July while His Eminence Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s teachings on the Bodhisattvacaryavatara will begin on the 1st of July and conclude on the 5th. The History of Buddhism and Kyudo courses will run throughout the entire Shedra Program.
All of these courses are open to any and all students who wish to attend. We hope that you might be able to join us for this year’s Shedra Program, and share in our great good fortune in studying these precious teachings.
Tuition for this program will be $795.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at registration@lotusgardens.org, or by phone at 540-778-2405.
Prefer to mail your payment?
You will find information on mailing your payment on the registration form.
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